MOSCOW. Feb 16 (Interfax) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu spoke over the phone on Wednesday at Turkey's initiative, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
"Key topics on the international agenda were discussed. Lavrov spoke about the ongoing work to promote the Russian Federation's initiatives to ensure long-term legal guarantees of security in Europe. The minister urged Turkey to facilitate the elaboration of a constructive and responsible response to Russian proposals," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday evening.
The situation in southeastern Ukraine was discussed, it said. The Russian foreign minister stressed the unacceptability of Western actions leading to the accelerated militarization of that country and the danger of reckless enhancement of military-technical cooperation with the Kyiv authorities in the current situation. He noted that there is no alternative to strict compliance with the Minsk Agreements and the agreements reached in the Normandy format and by the Trilateral Contact Group.
"The ministers compared notes on topical issues of the Russian-Turkish political dialogue and trade and economic cooperation. They exchanged views on the schedule of upcoming contacts," the statement said.